I'd 100% turn in $50 to the front desk anywhere.

 

now I feel like a bad person lol

---

maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

Depends on where you find it.

If you find cash in the lobby of a hotel or in a library, you’re probably more likely to turn it in than if you find cash on the steps down to the subway or at a sports stadium, I think. Also, the number might change if you find cash on the floor in the lobby of the Comfort Inn vs the lobby of the Ritz Carlton.

$20 is as good a number to start with as anything. At the Comfort Inn, I might turn that in, but probably not at the Ritz. I think it’s because of my internal idea of likelihood that someone will come back for that money. At the Ritz, if someone drops a $20, they’re less likely to place as much importance and come to find it. I am biased against turning in the money just so the hotel can keep it.

At a ballpark or stadium, it probably goes up quite a bit. In the subway or outside in the park, it goes up a lot more.

---

Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

$50 sounds about right.

Context matters a lot.

If I find a wallet dropped in front of a hotel desk, it has a driver's license and $22 dollars in it - I'm turning it in to the desk with a warm glow of civic responsibility.

If I'm walking through Boston Common and find a money clip with $300 in it, but no ID and no clear indication where it came from - I'm not turning it in to the Boston PD officer standing on the edge of the park, or looking for the nearest hotel where a clueless tourist may reside. That's mine now and I don't feel particularly bad about it.

All location dependent, randomly on the street, it is going in my pocket unless an ID is attached (like a wallet), library or smaller setting, over $20 goes to the front desk.

---

Pactimo brand ambassador, ask me about promo codes

I found an entire wallet at a highway rest area loaded w/several $50 bills, credit cards, IDs, etc.

First thought was to find a staff member and hand it over. Then I thought there's a decent chance of that person just keeping it and not getting it back to the owner. And who knows if the owner would even know to come back to the rest area and ask around.

Second thought was to send it via mail. Then I thought that could take a few days, and owner is a jam until then. And what if his license address is a former address etc. No guarantee it would get back to him.

Did the 3rd thing - stopped at the nearest police station and handed it in. Explained that I figured they'd be able to contact the owner arrange an exchange. (Of course, the cop/s could just decide to keep it -- but I had faith that cops would do the right thing).

Felt good to feel that I did the right thing.

(There was a fleeting moment of just keeping the $$ and saying screw it, finders keepers. Very fleeting moment).

This is a good question.

I've never pick up a large amount before, but everytime I find some cash (<$5) I've just somehow given it away. E.g. I would give it to someone asking for money or if it is change, I'd leave it at a parking meter.

I don't want to owe the universe anything.

Also, I wonder if it is "harder" to keep the money now with social media. I have seen post from people who found something, even cash, and posted it as a lost and found on social media, something like: "I found XYZ at the mall on Tuesday. If you lost something and can tell me what the colour, etc, blah blah blah is, I can return it."

I was on the opposite side of your question. And, this is Slowtwitch related story:)

I planned a 200 mile (one day) gravel ride on a rails2trails starting near my home and ending in a town where I could catch the evening train back home. I got started before dawn and things were going well and I stopped along the way to take a picture of the sun rising.

I had my sights set on picking up one or two breakfast sandwiches at small grocery store about 60 miles into the ride. When I got there they had fresh sandwiches on the counter and I picked up two and a big Gatoraide and went to pay. Reached into my jersey for my wallet and it wasn't there. My heart sank. No wallet, no sandwiches, no gatoraide, no train ride in my future.

I was pretty devastated and as I got back on my bike I was trying to think of what happened and came to the conclusion that I lost it when I reached into my jersey for my phone to take that sunrise pic. I've ridden over 30 years with my wallet in my jersey and had never lost it before. I started the ride back home with a couple of gels left and one water bottle thinking all the way of what cc I had to cancel and how to get a new license, etc..... PIA

This trail can be extremely busy during the day in the summer but I started so early that I hadn't seen anyone on my way out. About an hour later I saw two riders approaching me and they seemed like they were staring at me and as we passed one rider yelled out "Tim"? I immediately stopped and said yes! Not knowing them I asked if they had found a wallet and sure enough they had.

They asked me to verify my full name and then they gave it back to me and I shared my story with them. I was elated. They said they were getting ready to hand it in at the police station in the town that I had stopped for breakfast sandwiches. I don't know if I would have ever thought to check there for it. I offered them cash but they wouldn't accept. How lucky was that!!!!!

On a similar note, this past week while I was moving my mother into assisted living, someone left their phone in my mother's room. My first thought was to turn it in to the desk, but I instead figured, they would come back to find it. Sure enough, they came back.

In this case, the question becomes do you take it somewhere to turn it in vs hang out to see if someone comes to claim it. At a hotel, I can see going to the front desk. At a bus stop, or subway stop, where do you take it? Will the person know to go their? At a race, I'd find the race director. So I guess it depends on if there is a central known place to return it to.

This has already been hashed out:

No Country for Old Men

If there’s a reasonable place to return it, $1.

over $1 million I keep, less than that I turn in. Having watched No Country for Old Men, maybe not the best idea.

Found a $100 on floor in a hotel lobby once. Wasn't positive it was the guy in front of us checking in so just gave it to receptionist and let her know it was on lobby floor.


Turns out it was him and he went back to the same receptionist to retrieve it. We were grabbing dinner at the hotel bar and the receptionist pointed us out to him. He came and picked up our drink and dinner tab even though we told him it was well north of $100, but he didn’t care or ask how much our tab was and gave the bartender his credit card to cover it.

This, as far as context matters. A lot. I wouldn't turn in 20 though, but higher i might.

That said, if it's cash, i'm more likely to not hand in the cash, but give someone my contact info, if someone comes to them asking about it, then they can call or email me, whatever. If they describe the right amount and circumstances, i'll venmo them their $$. That way if no one claims it, I get to keep the cash myself.

I think there's a high likelyhood that if you turn in cash at a desk, either 1) someone will just pocket it right awayor 2) no one claims it and then someone pockets it themselves.

something with an ID is a totally different story to me. Doesn't matter how much money. IDs are a pain to replace, so that's a "turn in"

---

maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

You're awesome. That's heartwarming.

---

maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

I'd always said that $20 and under, I'd keep. Over that, I'd try to find the owner.

But, I'm in a much better place financially nowadays, and certainly don't need the money. So it might be anything more than a 5 I might try to find the owner.

But, that being said, I found a $100 bill one day outside a parking garage a few years back. Had honey get on the book of faces (I do not partake) and go to that cities... page? (Unsure of the proper terminology here.)

Anyhow, she posted that I'd found some moneyn and if someone replied with the proper denomination, I'd gladly return it to them.

Turned into a complete shit-show. Last post she read me said, You have no right not to tell us what it was that you'd found. Had her post in response: To whomever lost the money on X day at the parking garage, we're sorry we couldn't get the money back to you, but thank you for donating to XX charity. (It was an organization we were very actively involved with at the time.)

Long way to say: sometimes doing the right thing is a painni the ass. It is, however, still the right thong to do.

That being said, I've always said that found money has bad ju-ju (hope I'm spelling that correctly). Even if I end up "keeping" the cash, I turn it into something good. I don't actually keep it.
- Jeff

I once had my wallet fall out of my pocket while getting out of my truck. The wallet had around $3000 in it. No, I wasn't selling drugs, it was a one off time when I happened to be carrying a large amount of cash.

I didn't even realize I had dropped it until hours later when a police officer pulled up to my house and delivered the wallet with all the cash accounted for. He said a tourist had found it and given it to him. I couldn't believe it; especially since I had dropped it on the outskirts of downtown which borders on a not so great area.

---

Long Chile was a silly place.

Timely question. I found a wallet yesterday at the pool when I opened the locker to put my stuff in. Gave it to the front desk. Didn't even open it. I was the only one in the locker room.

I follow the million O/U rule .
Anything under a million I keep .

I have found more cash in NYC cabs on the back floor then playing lottery = Always keep

Best was at a concert $400 cash on the floor = Had a great time !

I found someone's Driver's License in the middle of the road while running one morning, in 2020. The address was just around the corner from my house, so I took it over [when I got home and could get a mask]

The townhouses that matched where the address should be weren't numbered, so I had to ask the first person I saw "Is this 187 ________ Road?"
"Yes it is"
"I'm looking for Apartment 3?"
"That would be ... right up there; second floor, on the left"
"Yep, I see the 3. Thanks"

Took it up, rang the bell. The occupant who came to the door matched the photo of the young black woman on the license

"I found this while running a little while ago" And handed it to her through a small gap she'd opened in the door - just to be safe, y'know
"Oh my!" she exclaimed, with wide eyes, "I must've dropped it while walking to the Dollar Store!" Although I had clearly woken her, she was quite effervescent "Thank you so much! I hadn't noticed! Who knows when I would have! Thanks again! That was so nice of you!"
"No problem. You're quite welcome"

As I was leaving, the older woman I'd seen first asked if the person was home. I said "Yes, everything is good" and explained my reason for coming over

"That was so nice of you! It would be a better world if more people did things like that. Even little things"
"Hey, you know" I replied "Being nice is fun. And it's SOOOO easy! Being mean is hard; it takes thought and energy. At least for me, anyway. Maybe I'm wrong"
"No" she answered "You're NOT wrong"

---

"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

I don't think I've ever found more than $20 and I've always kept it.

Found a guy's wallet with close to $200 in it and I returned that.